Automatic safety apparatus for railways.



PATBNTED SEPT- 17, 1907.

a. 1:; 11mm AUTOMATIC SAFETY APPARATUS I'OR'BAILWAYS.

APPLIOATIO! rznnn urn a1, 1m.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS In." mm, Int um yum-0111c.

c mnY'An.

. PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

- AUTOMATIC SAFETY APPARATUS-FOR RAILWA'YS.

APPLIOATIOI PILBD' IEPT. 27. 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTEDSEPT. 17, 1907.

- a q. E. RYAN; L 130mm SAFETY APPARATUS son amwus.

"APPLIOATIOI FILED BRIT 27, 1906.

4 SHEETS-IRIS! 4.

a a 7 y 1 operated track devices which are set by the trains as. they pass; in this way, each train as it proceeds main- I .track device without having its power automatically cutoff. In this way rear end collisions areefiectually of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new 1 and Improved Automatic Safety Apparatus for Raildescription.

. collisions.

GEORGE E. RYAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

A UTO KATIC SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Sept. 17, 19Q7.

Application'filod September 2'7, 1906. Serial No. 336,392.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, Gsonos E. RYAN, a citizen of the United States, and'a resident of the city of New York, (Laurel Hill, borough of Queens,) in the county ways, or which the following is a full, clear, and exact This invention relates-to automatic safety devices, such as used on railways for preventing accidents or The invention contemplates the use of automaticallytains a track device in a set position at a suitable distance in its rear. A following train cannot pamthis prevented. 4 QThe inyention' consists in the construction and combinationof parts be more fully described hereinafter andparticularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of rein-once indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. i 1 r Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward portion of a locomotive, illustrating the manner in which my in vention is applied thereto; Fig.2 isa vertical section taken through the dry pipe ands portion of the locomotive boiler and illustratingthe manner in which the invention operates to out off the supply of steam to the engine cylinder; Fig. 3 is aplan showing a section of track equipped-with mytrack devices, the same being a diagrammatic view, Fig. 14 Y is a vertical section throughfone o fthe track devices and taken transversely of the track; Fi'g'rfo'is'ahorizontal section through the case of the track'device' on the line 5-5 of Fig. .4;

6 is an elevation of a fvalvew'hich is co'ntrolled by the' track devices, and which, in turn, controls the 'looorno tive; this view also shows a trip devicewhich operates the valve; Fig. 7 is a vertical cross section of'the aforesaid valve and trip device, certain being broken away; this view is a section on line 77 of Figi-G; Fig. 7 is an end elevation showing details of construction of the valve which is illustrated in Figs. 6and 7; Fig. 8 is a plan of a contact device showing a portion of the rail near which the same is placed; and .Fig. 9 is a vertical. section through a contact device, a plurality of which I distribute along the track and which afford means for controlling the track devices.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents a locomotive of any suitable construction, having the usual dry-pipe 2 which extends longitudinally of the boiler in the upper portion thereof. In this dry-pipe I place a gate valve 3, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. A

bonnet 4 for this valve passes through the boiler shell, as indicated, and receives the gate 5 of the valve. The

upper portion of this bonnet 4 is formed into the lower head of a cylinder 6 through which passes a piston rod 7 which is attached to the gate, as indicated, the upper extremity of said piston rod carrying a piston 853g shown. i

Through the upperhesd 9 of the cylinder 9. i 10 leads, which pipe downwardly at the side of the locomotive so as to communicate with avalve or cock 11 placed beneath the-locomotive, as indicated most clearly. in Fig. 1. This valve is supported on suitable brackets 12 attached to any part of the frame 13, as indicatedin Fig. 6. Thevalve consists ofa cylindrical casing or barrel 14, in the interior of which there is a rotatable plug 15, said plug having stub-shafts 16 which are rotatably mounted in the heads 14' of the valve ].1.

The pipe 10 passesto the upper side of the wall of the barrel 14, as indicated in Fig. Near this point there is arranged a supply pipe 17 which leads rearwardly and connects with the air reservoir of the engine. On

the opposite side of the pipe 10 an exhaust pipe 18 is 1 maintains the plug. 1 5 in the I POSlIlOIL shown in Fig. 7.

In this position a port 20, in.the side of the plug'15, opens communication between th pipes 10 and 18, so that the upper end of the cylinder .6 isopen if) the atmosphere; A second port 21 is formed in the side of plugl5 and is in such a position that if the trip 19'is between the pipeslO and the pipe 17 above moved toward the right, communication will be opened the valve 11 there. isfprovided a check-valve 17' which" opens toward {the reservoir with which the pipe 17 connects. {This valve has a depending stem the lower "end'wlr ereof 'restsagainstfthe lower part "or the wall of' the port 21'. The wall of this, port is curved to conhand direction the plug will operate to raise the check valveirom its seat 17. By this rotationthe port 21 j cave as shownso that the stem does not prevent rotaalso opens communipationirom the pipe 10 to the pipe 17. When this occurs, air from the reservoirof the engine is admitted into the upper end of the cylinder:

a box 24 in which thcre is located an electro-magnet In this way, the flow of steam to the lor mlenoid A aq'dan electromagnet or solenoid B dis posed oppositely to eachother,'. and inv substantial axial alinerhent as indicatedl Within each of the coils of these magnets, magnet cores 25,26 areprovided,

I the core being arra nged in connection with the magnet This 7 core is connected, by meansoi a suitable linkorpiston 27', with a. cam 28 pivotally mounted on a shaft 29, the said camhavingsubstantially the form 4 offal heart, the small end whereof is cut away as'indi-.

cated Inthis way an'elevated cam face 30 'is'providediand afnotc'h 31, at whiclnthe cam face is de-' pressed or-approaches toward the axis 29. The cam" 28 is provided with a connterweighflm which normally tends'tp maintain the cam arr-inoperative positioni that is, with the notch 31 disposed at an elevated'pointp On the cam face 30 restsa roller-'33 which is. pivoted upon a pin which projects upwardly through a suit ,able'opening 35 formed in the cover'ofthe. box 24'. When' the cam 28 isoccupying its normal position, the

in the inoperative positionthe head of'the pin seats 1 on the box with the lip 35 received in the groove 35.

a hell'crank shaped catch 37 which is pivotally mount ed at 38 on the box, andto the upper-portion of this a catch 37 the core ofthe magnet B is connected by a roller ,33 occupies t he no tch.31 and the pin 34 does not project above the road bed orcover of the box 24.

' The edge of this opening is provided with an upwardly projecting lip 35 and the pin 34 formed witlnan enlarged head 35* the under sidewhcreofisformed with sition, the pin 34 projects from the box as shown. When On the side of the cam 28 which lies opposite the elec magnet A, the said cam -is provided with an abrupt shoulder 36, and with this shoulder cooperates linl; 25". The lower portion of the catclr37 is provided with a laterally projecting toe 39. Beneath this toe 39 a'spring 40 is placed, which thrusts upwardly and normally maintains a dog 41 on the catch in engage; ment'with the shoulder 36. When in this position-the weight 32 evidently operates to maintain theshouldor 36 againstthe dog 41, so that the cam 28 is maintained in equilibrium. As indicated, the track device is disposed transversely between the rails 42 or" the track;'

that is, the axes of the magnets A and B are disposed at right angles to the rail; 'On the upper side of the ,dog 41 I provide an upwardly projecting rib 41. In order to enable the track device to closc signal circuits automatically; the shaft LS)v is provided with a rigid contact cam 29* cooperating with. contacts 29 and 29. 1 provide automatic means whereby the passing of the train controls the operation of the track devices.

rent to the electro-magnct, while the conductor 46 rcturns the same.

In Fig. 3 I represent three of the track devices, indi- 'of the .coil B being connectedthrough a'condilctor- 52 with one of the rails along which they current returns to set the tracl; deviceiinithe relation shown in Fig. 4;

a'groove 35% When the track device is in its set ,po

swam

cated respectively by the numbers 47, 48,49. At the points 50 the conductors 45 of the circuits 0 are con-' .nected 'with conductors 51 which lead to the electl-o magnets B of an adjacent track device; the opposite end though the point 53 where connection is bad to a con v doctor 54 which connects with the return wire 46 at the point 55. It should be understood that the train is supposed to pass from the right togthe left as viewed in. "5

Fig. 3. When the wheels of the locomotive pass over the contact devices'44, the circuit It becomes closed. In this ivay the elec'tro-magnet A of that circuit be comes energized and its core 26 is drawn inwardly so as that is, with the pin 34 projecting upwardly.- At the Same time that the current is flowing inthis circuit a,

.a parallel'circuit is formed through the wires 51, 52, etc., which may be considered to be a circuit b. This circuit extends back on the track to the track device which has just been passed .by the locomotive. In

down in its normal posit-ion,allowing the'pin 34 .to become'depressed. Intliis wayas tli ejengine proceeds, it continually sets thesuccessive; track devices: over this way the electro-magnet- B-of this rear track device becomes energized and the core 25 thereof is "drawn:

inwardly. in doing so,the dog 41 releases the shoulder 36 and allows the counterweight 32 to move the cam 28 which it passes and continually unsets or throws into m inoperative position, the track devices in the rear. Froin thisarrangemcnt it follows that there will always be, in the rcnr'of a moving train, a set track device.

To er plain more specifically the mode oi operation when a train passes, it fnay be said that when the loco- .motive reaches the contact devices 44' which are disposed in connection with the track device 47, the-cit cuit a. will be closed through' the electro-magnet A. of the tracl; device 47', which will operate to set this track device in the manner described above. This track device will remain set-until the engine arrives at the contact devices 44 in connection with the traclc device 48. When the circuit is-closed at this point, the magnot B of the t1ack'device 47 becomes energized and the track device unset. At the same time the magnet A of'the track device-48 is-energized' when this track device becomes set, and so on i The construction of the contact devices 44 is very clearly shown in Figsi8and 9. Each contact device comprises a base, 56 the central portion whereof has the form of a cup 56 abovewhich there is. placed a depressible cap or head 57 the said cap being pivoted at 57".. This cap 57 is formed on its under side into a coritact'button 58 while the cup 56* is provided with a centrally disposed boss carrying an insulating plate 59. The sections 45 and 45 offthe wire 45 which constitute the conductor 45 are attached respectively to the plate.

' Within the devices helical spring 61 is arranged which rail 63. The entire-track device is inclosed in a suitable case 60, leaving an -opening through which the wires 4-5 and 45 are insulated from all parts of the .rail-plateprojects. It should be understood thatthe set, which projects upwardly as indicated in Fig. 1.

contact device so that the circuit may be closed by.

depressing the cap. I It should be understood also-that the dry-pipe Z-conne'cts with the cylinders 64 of the locomotive, in the, usual manner, so that when the of the cylinder will be compressed. The pressure of this air affords means for returning the piston to its normal upright position tore-open the gatevaive 3.

The upward movement ofthe gate is also assisted by. the pressure of the steam of the dry-pipeupon its under side.

i provide an arrangement whereby the rearward'rnotion of the trip-plate will operate to rotate the plug while a movement in the opposite direction will not affect it. For this purpose the arms 19 of the trip 19 are formed into hubs 19" as illustrated in Fig. 7 g each of said hubs presents a shoulder 19 on its rear side, which normally abuts against a similar shoulder 16 which is formed on the projecting end of the corresponding stub-shaft 16; on the forward side the material of the shaft and-the hub is cutaway to form a gap 19.

vFrom this arrangement a motion of the trip 19 toward the rightf that is, toward the rear, will rotate the plug by means of the engaging shoulders 16 and 19, but a motion of the trip forward will not affect the plug by reason of the gap.- Hence, it is possible for the locomotive to back over one of the track devices without afiecting the valve 11. I In order to return the trip to its normal position after it has been struck by a track device when the locomotive is-backing, I provide a leaf spring i i": as illustrated in 6 and 7, which is attached to? ;he barrel 14 of the valve and touches at its lower eitd against the trip 19. This spring gives forwardly when the trip is moved in that direction and returns the trip afterwards. I

, The pipe 10 hasa branch connection 10 which leads rearwardly to'the train service pipe for the air-brakes so that when the power is shut off, the brakes will be automatically applied aiso'j Thecheck valve 17 effectually prevents any leakage from the reservoir to the valve 11 when the valve is closed.

In order to facilitate the guiding of the pin 34, I pro- .vide a friction roller 34', carried by the case; the face and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1 In a track device, in combination, a pin adapted to project into the path ot a trip, a cam controlling the position of said pin, an eiectro-magne't having a core connected with said cam, a catch for maintaining said cam in a set position,'and an e1ectro-magnet'"controlling said catch to release saidcam. 1'

2. In a track device, in combination, a pin adaptedlo project into the pith of a trip, a cam disposed beneath said pin and controilingthe position thereof, an eiectromagnet having a core, a link connecting said core with said cam, means tending to hold said cam in anjinoperltive position, a catch engaging said cam and affording means for maintaining the same in a set position, and an electromagnet for releasing said catch,

3. In a tracir device, in combination, a pin adapted to project into the path of a trip device, a cam having a cam face supporting said pin, an eiectro-magnet having a core, a link connecting said core with said cam, said ca'm'having an abrupt shoulder formed on the side thereof, a springpressed catch engaging said shoulder andaflording means for supporting said cam, a counterweight carried by said cam and tending to inaintainsaid shoulder against said catch, and an electro-magnet having a'coreconnccted with said catch. a

In testimony whereof I have signed'my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. RYAN. 

